We’ve been curious to find out which are the 66 countries that signed the unprecedented UN human rights declaration that calls for the worldwide decriminalisation of homosexuality and the protection of people from execution, arrest and detention based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. France and the Netherlands were the main forces behind the initiative which was signed by all 27 member states of the European Union, but the drafting of the statement was coordinated by a cross-regional group of states including Brazil, Croatia, Gabon, Japan and Norway. People, this is history in the making!
In case you’re interested in finding out whether your country is in or out, here are the 66 signatories to the declaration, according to PinkNews.co.uk: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
We found ourselves absolutely astounded by the fact that there were FIVE African states that signed the declaration: Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau and Sao Tome and Principe. Asia fared relatively poorer with just four signees: Israel, Japan, Nepal and Timor-Leste.
Nepal’s story is an interesting one. Just recently, it became the first country in the world to formally recognise the third gender. It is also the first country in Asia to guarantee full equality for its LGBT citizens and to amend all discriminatory laws by 2010. The top court has even gone a step further in asking the government to form a committee to study same sex marriage laws in other countries and recommend a similar act for Nepal! Remember, Nepal is headed by a Maoist government that not so long ago fought a bitter war to replace the monarchy with a communist republic, and now the former rebels have completely turned around, laid down their arms and resolved to build a diverse government that champions inclusion and human rights.
It must be said that many of the above-named countries are not places that first come to mind when you’re talking about the gay rights movement. In Timor-Leste, for instance, one of the world’s youngest democracies, most residents are still emerging from the memories of war and are worried about putting food on the table on a daily basis. That countries like these have signed the declaration says nothing about how much social freedoms and liberty the average individual has in these places, nor how it compares with other countries that have not signed the declaration. Still, their decision to sign the document is to be applauded for the way it puts other more developed nations to shame that have not signed the declaration, and we have in mind countries like the United States, South Korea, South Africa and Singapore.
All is not lost. In the case of the US, there is hope that its striking absence from the declaration will be reversed when the Obama administration takes power. Even the Vatican City which had earlier urged nations not to sign the statement saying it could pressure them to accept same-sex marriage has now changed tack. The latest news now is that the Vatican City has called for the decriminalisation of homosexuality but that it stops short of supporting the new declaration because of its use of the terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity,” which it believes to have no established meaning in international law. Like it or not, this is a dramatic departure from anything else that the Holy See has said on homosexuality!
More than 80 countries continue to have laws against homosexuality. In seven countries, homosexuality is punishable by death. These countries are mostly either Arab nations (which have banded together to oppose the new declaration, citing the fear that it would lead to a rise in sexual crimes against children) and/or former British colonies that have retained old anti-sodomy laws used by the British to control their subjects during Victorian colonial times. Going forward, it is in these two categories of nations that the battle will have to be won, first in the latter and then in the former.
Yet, history is on our side. As Dutch foreign minister, Maxime Verhagen, sees it, “This is the first time in history that a group of member countries voices its objection to discrimination that is based on sexual identity and orientation… The issue is no longer taboo.” While it may be many more years before we arrive at a formal UN resolution for that would require a majority in the General Assembly, the breakthrough has already been made today.
10 Responses
December 22nd, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Cape Verde, Guiné-Bissau, São Tomé and Prince and East-Timor (Timor Leste) are all small portuguese ex-colonies, and in terms of international diplomacy they tend to follow the shadow of Portugal and Brazil. I guess that’s the main reason the 4 of them voted in favour, contrary to all the other countries in similar contexts and dimensions. Angola and Mozambique, big enough to have their own voice, were the only portuguese speaking countries to vote against.
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
PS: Actually Cape Verde is not exactly on the same context as the others, since it’s a tourist paradise and one of the african countries with better quality of life. But still, tends to follow portuguese diplomacy..
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Great post, I love the way you are looking into it, this is really good coverage!
December 25th, 2008 at 1:16 am
What about my country, Dominican Republic? Here we live a double standard discrimination. All the openly gay or lesbian bar has been closed by the goverment, “because” we are against the good manners and moral of the traditional families. They even said that in our bars there’s prostitution, drugs and pervertions to minors.
We don’t even have the right to have a parade or celebrate our pride. And is worse if somebody finds out in at work, there is no law that forbids discrimination agaist our comunity.
December 25th, 2008 at 2:15 am
Prophet Muhammad -pbuh- cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The Messenger of Allaah cursed the man who wears women’s clothes and the woman who wears men’s clothes.”
http://www.islamiclearningmaterials.com/
December 27th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
To Abu Ibrahim, Being a gay does not mean to wear a female cloths! Its an identiy freedom, most of creative ppl r gays or lesbian..in Arab nations a huge amount of ppl r gays/lesbian..but these nations like to hide he truth and live with double faces and have double standards..Plz search in ur community and u’ll discover the fact.
December 29th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
To Abu Ibrahim, I agree wholeheartedly with what Xavier has to say. I am GAY and I do not wear female clothing and have no desire at all to wear female clothing. I do not like effeminate men and I am not particularly fond of Lesbians either. I am just a normal boy-next-door type who likes rugby, cricket, European soccer,and on the other side I enjoy cooking and entertaining. If I do not tell anyone that I am gay, then they would not know. I am NOT ashamed of who and what I am. If there are people who don’t like it – Build a bridge and get over it. I’m here and if you do not like it – Take a hike. I don’t interfere in your life so therefor leave me to get on with mine.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Cool Post…I am not sure it is all true but…goow work! ;)
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February 4th, 2010 at 7:50 am
[...] about a UN resolution that calls for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality (the declaration we told you about late last year hasn’t actually been ratified yet), here’s what he had to [...]
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